October 11th is the
50th anniversary of Vatican Council II
and the beginning of Pope Benedict's call
for us to begin a Year of Faith to explore,
examine and study our faith more deeply.
Students will explore different topics in
religion classes to have them understand the
Holy Father's call to discover their faith
more fully.


ITBS Testing Grades 1-8

ITBS testing begins this week. Students
should go to bed early each night and
have a full breakfast each morning during
the testing period. Since the test this year
is new and based on the Common Core Curriculum
students may struggle with some of the
new components of the test. The ITBS is a
diagnostic tool that the schools of the
Archdiocese use to improve education. It is
NOT an IQ test but a tool to assist educators
on needs of students individually and as a
class group.
Parents are requested NOT to stress their children
over these tests but remind them to do the best they
can and to concentrate during the test.
Parents can assist in grades 3-8 by having their child
review the multiplication tables if they are still
struggling with them, read non-fiction books like
they do in class and ask them questions about their
reading.

Smart Tuition
Mrs. Resto will now handle all Smart Tuition
inquiries. Mrs. Resto is in her office from
7:30 AM - 3:00 PM.
The school office will no longer be open on
Saturdays as the parent response for assistance
does not warrant staffing the office. All
inquiries should be done on
Sundays from 10:00 AM until 4:00 PM.

Candy Bars for Fund Raising
Candy bars are available in the tuition
office to assist parents in their
fund raising. Please check with Mrs. Resto.

IRIS Testing
This month the IRIS system will be tested
during the day. This is a test to see if
you would receive a message from the school
in the event of a school emergency.
Further information will be made available as
to the date etc.
Parents are requested to notify the office
if emergency numbers change.


Monday - October 8th
SCHOOL CLOSED

Tuesday - October 9th
ITBS grids filled in etc.
Students will need at least
three number 2 pencils.
No testing today just paperwork
completed.

Wednesday - October 10th
Fireman Bill will be here to talk
to students about Fire Safety as part of
Fire Prevention Week.

ITBS Testing Grades 1-8
Mathematics Parts I & II
Grade 5 ONLY - Mathematics Computation


Thursday - October 11th
NO ITBS testing today
Year of Faith begins

Friday-October 12th
Feast of St. Wilfred
Map a Month due
Vision and Hearing Screening by
the New York Health Department
ITBS testing Grades 1-8
Vocabulary, Spelling, Capitalization, Punctuation
Mathematics Computation.
Grade 5 ONLY - CoGat testing

Sunday October 14th
Confirmation Class 12:00 noon

Mass for all students in sacramental
program 1:00 PM

SIS passwords etc. will be distributed
from 10:00AM - 4:00PM by Alana in office.

“May today there be peace within.
May you trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be.
May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith.
May you use those gifts that you have received, and pass on the love that has been given to you.
May you be content knowing you are a child of God.
Let this presence settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love.
It is there for each and every one of us.”

― Thérèse de Lisieux

October,2012
During this month of the Holy Rosary
we should reflect on the importance of
Mary in our lives.

This month the teachers will focus
their lessons on the value of poverty and
simplicity as reflected in the Beatitudes.

ITBS/Cogat Schedule
The Iowa Test of Basic Skills along with the CoGat
tests will be administered October 10th-19th.
These tests are NEW and will reflect the new
Common Core State Standards that are being
implemented nationally.
Students should go to be early the night before
a test. SHOULD NOT BE STRESSED by their parent(s) and
eat a good breakfast by coming to school early.
The mad early rush should be avoided by having
morning things prepared before going to bed.
The results of the tests will not be available
until December, 2012.

Sacramental Program
The sacramental program began Sunday September 30th.
Calendars were distributed to all students that were
present.
Parents may register their child for the
sacraments of Baptism, Reconciliation,
First Holy Communion and Confirmation.
All students are REQUIRED to attend the 1:00 PM
Mass together as a group.
Parents who have questions should see Mr. Woods.

October Calendar
The October calendar will not be ready until
Thursday or Friday of this week. The office
xerox machine is broken and we are waiting
for the arrival of a part for the machine.

Vision and Hearing Screening
Students in Kindergarten and First Grade will be
screened by the New York City Department of Health
on Friday, October 12th. Reports of their screening
will be sent home with your child.

Monday October 1st-
Feast of St. Therese of the Child Jesus (de Lisieux)
UNIT I Week IV

Tuesday October 2nd
Feast of Guardian Angels

Wednesday October 3rd
Candy bars are available in the
tuition office to assist you in your
fund raising.

Thursday October 4th
Feast of St. Francis of Assisi
Mass at 9:00 AM led by the 5th grade
and parents are welcome.
Students may bring animals to Mass for
a special blessing.
Dogs and cats must return home after Mass.

Friday - October 5th
Feast of St.Faustina Kowalska

Saturday - October 6th
Feast of St. Bruno

Sunday- October 7th
Students in sacramental program are
to attend Mass with their parents.
Fr. Antonio will collect attendance cards
after the 1:00 PM Mass.
The school office will be closed today
as Mr. Woods' family is gathering for a
memorial for his mother who died last year.

Do not be afraid of undertaking too much
of what you can do without coming and going;
but fear only the thought of doing more
than you are doing and more than
God is giving you the means to do.

St. Vincent dePaul

Common Core State Standards
Parents are reminded to review materials
at
http://www.pta.org/common_core_state_standards.asp
or
http://www.corestandards.org/

to view materials regarding the new curriculum
shift in education.
Materials are being updated regularly at these
websites. Parents may also view a PowerPoint
presentation by the New York State Education Department at:

http://engageny.org/resource/shifts-for-students-and-parents/

Vision and Values
A number of parents will be invited to join
a number of faculty members in outlining the
vision and values important as a school community
here at OLQM. The meeting will be held here
on Sunday September 30th at 2:15 PM after the
1:00 PM Mass. The results of that meting will be
posted on this blog.

Mon. September 24th
National Punctuation Day

Tues. September 25th
Reminder candy bars are available in the
tuition office.

Weds. September 26th
Feast of Sts. Cosmos and Damien
SCHOOL IS OPEN

Thurs. Sept. 27th
Feast of St. Vincent de Paul

Friday September 28th
SCHOOL CLOSED
Common Core Conference Day for
teachers.

Saturday- September 29th
Feast of the Archangels Michael,
Gabriel, and Raphael
Harvest Moon

Sunday - September 30th
Last Day for registration for sacramental
program 10:00 AM - 12:00 noon.
1:00 PM - Mass for all students in sacramental program
2:15 PM - Vision and Values meeting

September, 2012

Dear Catholic School Parents,

As we prepare for the start of a new school year, I want to take the opportunity to share with you several dynamic changes underway in our Catholic schools and how they will positively impact your family.

As you may know, we are in the midst of implementing Pathways to Excellence, our multi-year strategic plan to strengthen schools in the Archdiocese of New York and ensure they remain available, accessible and affordable for every family desiring a Catholic education for their child(ren).

Currently, we are in a phase called "Regionalization." As its name implies, Regionalization involves the coming together of parish elementary schools into geographic "regions." This way, every parish will be responsible for, contribute to and have a voice in Catholic education in the archdiocese.

As Cardinal Dolan stated recently, "Simply put, Regionalization is about everybody doing their part, sharing responsibilities and working together to ensure a vibrant future for our schools."

This September, three pilot regions have become operational: Staten Island, Rockland and Northwest South Bronx. Each of these new regions will be governed by a Board, made up of outstanding and talented individuals committed to the mission of Catholic education- both laity and clergy. For schools, this means that they will now be able to benefit from this new wealth of knowledge and expertise, to include finance, marketing and, of course, education. The remaining seven regions in the archdiocese will follow the same process and become operational in September 2013. During this process, however, we recognize that some difficult decisions will have to be made, including the very real possibility of additional school closings at the end of the current school year. For the vast majority of schools, the end result will be a revitalized and stronger system.

What does regionalization mean for you and your child(ren)? On the surface, you probably won't notice much of a change in the day-to-day operations at your school. However, by adopting a regional approach in which individual schools, true to their Catholic mission, cooperate as members of a larger faith community and share resources, regionalization is expected to result in:

• Sustainable, fiscally sound schools providing an excellent Catholic education
• An infusion of additional talent through the increased role of the laity in school governance
• Community-based decision-making that more fully addresses the goals and needs of schools on the local level
• More funds available for academic enhancements, scholarships and parish religious education programs

All of this translates into better schools and brighter futures for those who matter most: our children.

For regular updates on Regionalization, please visit the Superintendent of Schools' website: www.adnyeducation.org. My prayers and best wishes for a successful school year ahead!
Sincerely,


Timothy J. McNiff, Ed.D. Superintendent of Schools

Week of September 17th - September 23rd

There is the Music of Heaven in all things
and we have forgotten how to hear it until we sing.

St. Hildegard of Bingen

Common Core
Parents are reminded that they should
keep up with the changes in education known as the
Common Core. Besides Common Core Standards.org parents
should also join www.pta.org. Any questions may be
directed to Mr. Woods regarding these changes
and the implementation of the Common Core here at
Our Lady Queen of Martyrs.

Thank You
Thanks to the parents of Briana Bonilla,
Ayana Horsford and Joel & Jailyn Castillo
for attending the meeting last Wednesday with
Dr. McNiff, the Superintendent of Schools.
Parents requesting to know information
regarding that meeting should speak to those
parents.

Book Fair
There will be a Book Fair this week on the
second floor of the school to assist the
PreK classes. As a reminder students should
be reading more non-fiction books that are based
on real life experiences.

Candy Bars
Candy Bars have arrived in the tuition office to
assist you in your fund-raising requirements.
Letters will go home this week.
Parents are reminded that fund raising monies
must be paid in the tuition office.

Smart Tuition
A reminder that all tuition, after school program,
general fees etc. are due to Smart Tuition.
Parents that have questions may call the
company 24hours a day 7 days a week. Alana
is in the school office on Saturdays and
Sundays to assist parents with any concerns.

Monday September 17th
Unit I Week II
Book Fair

Tuesday September 18th
Book Fair

Wednesday September 19th
Feast of St. Janarius
Book Fair

Thursday September 20th
Book Fair

Friday September 21st
Feast of St. Matthew, the evangelist

Saturday September 22nd
Office open 10AM - 4PM
Autumn begins

Sunday September 23rd
Registration for the Sacramental Program
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM

Week of September 9-16, 2012

“Happiness can only be achieved by looking
inward & learning to enjoy whatever life has
and this requires transforming greed into gratitude.”
― St. John Chrysostom

Common Core State Standards

This week each parent should view
www.corestandards.org
there are a number of videos and resources to
assist parents in the changes that are
occurring in education.

Meeting with Superintendent of Schools
Mr. Woods is looking for 4 to 6 parents
to attend a meeting with Dr. McNiff, the
Superintendent of Schools for the Archdiocese.
The meeting is Wednesday September 12th at 6:30 PM.
If you are able to attend please see Mr. Woods.
The meeting will be held on the upper East Side.

Monday September 10th
Regular Class schedule
Dismissal at 3:00 PM
Basketball team begins for students
in grades 5-8 with Mr. Guzman.

Tuesday September 11th Patriot Day
Mass at 9:00 AM led by the students of
the 8th grade. Parents Welcome.

Wednesday September 12th
Feast of the Most Holy Name of Mary
Parent meeting with Dr. McNiff - see note above.
Bible Classes begin in Spanish 8:00 PM -10:00 PM
please see Fr. Antonio if you are interested.

Thursday September 13th
Feast of St. John Chrysostom

Friday September 14th
Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross
EARLY DISMISSAL DAY 12:00 noon
Faculty Meeting
Parents in need of after school care
should see Mrs. Resto in the tuition office.

Saturday September 15th
Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows
New Moon
Hispanic Heritage Month begins
SIS passwords and Smart Tuition issues
can be addressed to Alana in school office
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM

Sunday September 16th
Parish Feast 1:00 PM - 6:00 PM
Book Fair on 2nd floor of school
Plant Sale

1 August 2012

Dear Parents,

I hope that this letter finds you and your family well and that you are enjoying your summer.
I am writing regarding the 80th opening day of Our Lady Queen of Martyrs School on Wednesday September 5, 2012.
As is our custom there will be a parent orientation meeting on Tuesday September 4th , in the school auditorium at the following times:
PreK 3 and 4 year olds ----------5:00 PM

Kindergarten, First, Second, Third and Fourth grades 6:00 PM

Grades five, six, seven and eight ----------7:00PM

Enclosed with this letter you have received your Fund Raising card along with information regarding the After School Program. By today you should have received information from Smart Tuition regarding your September payment. If you have questions or have not received a letter from Smart Tuition please contact me before September 1st.
The teachers will post the supply list for their classrooms on or after August 15th on the school blog of www.olqmnyc.blogspot.com. Please remember if your child is in a departmental class you will need to also click on the other teachers. For your convenience I have listed below the teacher’s name and classes:

PreK -1 Mrs. Fundora
PreK-2 Ms. Rodriguez
Kingergarten – Ms. Ocasio
First Grade – Ms. Wong
Grades 2, 3 & 4 Departmental
Grade 2 – Mrs. Bagley Social Studies & Reading
Grade 3 – Ms. Saville English Language Arts & Religion
Grade 4- Mr. Badia Science & Mathematics
Grades 5, 6, 7 & 8 - Departmental
Grade 5 – Mrs. Larios Reading and Social Studies (Grades 7 & 8)
Grade 6- Mrs. Ramsey Science and Social Studies (Grades 5 & 6)
Grade 7 – Ms. Serewko English Language Arts and Religion (Grades 5 & 6)
Grade 8 – Mr. Placido Mathematics and Religion (Grades 7& 8)


Finally, since September 4th is a Parent-Teacher Meeting please make arrangements for your child to remain home so that there will be adult to adult conversation without distraction.

Enjoy the remaining days of summer.

Sincerely,
Andrew G. Woods